


Run Like Hell

by tmlily



Category: Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: Enemy Lovers, F/M, Mild Sexual Content, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:00:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23632741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tmlily/pseuds/tmlily
Summary: Sarah Williams has yet again made a foolish wish that sends a loved one into the deepest part of the Labyrinth. But her choice has unforeseen consequences - and those consequences may claim Sarah's sanity, or even her life. This run will be anything but a piece of cake.
Relationships: Jareth & Sarah Williams
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

"It's so UNFAIR!" Sarah raged as she climbed the stairs to her room. "Sarah? Sarah, don't you turn your back on me!" Irene shouted after the frustrated teenager. Sarah ignored her. She knew from past experience and the lack of conviction in her stepmother's voice that any further threats would not be enforced.  
She reached the top of the stairs and stomped inside her bedroom, slamming the door in the middle of Irene’s sentence. "I don't know what to do, I'm only-"  
SLAM.  
"-trying to be a good mother,” Irene finished quietly, turning her attention, or as much as she could spare, towards Toby, who was actively trying to dismember his G.I Joe.  
Up in her sanctuary, Sarah finished the sentence differently. "-trying to ruin your life, Sarah. That's all." She huffed and flung herself onto her bed. She was acting like a spoiled child and she knew it, but right now, she didn't particularly care. It just wasn't fair. Sarah had thought that going away to college would be her way of escaping her entire boring life, not to mention her suffocating stepmother. And then, earlier this afternoon, the acceptance letter had come from NYU, Sarah's dream school.  
Think of it! A killer theatre program and a whole city to lose herself in. She had been deliriously happy, until Irene had come home, congratulated her...and then told her she wasn't going. Sarah got angrier and angrier with every word her stepmother said about the "eight-hour rule" and how the family needs Sarah to "stay close-for Toby's sake." That was the last straw. She would not tolerate her brother being used to guilt-trip her. Sarah turned bright red and screamed the words that were becoming her trademark around the house, and fled to her room. She tried to hold back angry tears as she threw various pillows and stuffed animals at the walls.  
She felt trapped. Trapped in her town, trapped in her family, trapped in her own life. She couldn't rebel on this one. She had gotten scholarships, but her parents would still be paying for about half of her tuition. One wrong move would put her even further from her dreams. She let out another scream of frustration and buried her face in her pillow. She felt like she might drown if she didn't let out her tears, so she gave in at last and lay sobbing uncontrollably on her bed. Once the tears started flowing, all her anger washed away, too, and she felt the despair that had been hiding beneath her frustration.  
Didn't Irene understand that this was her future at stake? If she didn't escape now, Sarah was afraid that she would end up like her stepmother, stuck as a housewife, running in place. Besides, New York was all she had dreamed about since she was old enough to know what it was. This was her chance, and if she didn't chase it now, she shuddered to think of her future. She was meant to be a star, she belonged on the stage and among the masses, not in a grey cement classroom three hours from anywhere.  
She tried to scream, but it came out as a weak, heartbroken sigh. She felt drained from the events of the day, and soon her eyes closed and she slept, dreamlessly and deep.


	2. Chapter 2

Irene tried to control her motions as she cleaned up the debris from Toby's afternoon snack. She knew that if she so much as slammed a single plate on the counter, Toby would be on it in a heartbeat, asking what was the matter and frustrating her further. So she kept her movements as subtle as possible while Toby rattled off the details of his day with a speed only young children can achieve.  
She marveled for a moment at how fast the five-year-old was growing. Then the sound of Sarah's angry sobs drifted down the stairs and Irene sighed. She didn't mean to cause Sarah so much grief. She really didn't. But she was just so difficult to understand! Floating about all day in her own little world, never thinking about anyone or anything of importance.  
In truth, one of the biggest reasons Irene had convinced her husband to support the distance restrictions on Sarah's school choices was that she never seemed to be able to reach Sarah even when the girl was standing right in front of her. All she wanted was to spend a little time with her stepdaughter. She figured her best chance was to keep Sarah close for as long as possible. That would give her at least a little more time to try and figure out how she could earn her way into Sarah's world.  
To be honest, she admired Sarah more than she wanted to admit. Irene had always been so practical, always doing what needed to be done, and, if she was straight with herself (which she most often was), going through the motions. She had always wished for the imagination that people like Sarah possessed, the ability to escape whenever she liked. But every time she tried to communicate with the headstrong teenager, each woman ended up furious with the other. She just didn't know what to do anymore. And she hated not knowing - anything.  
Her train of thought was effectively wrecked by Toby's small voice at her side. "Mommy?" he squeaked, tugging at her jean leg, "I'm a little sleepy." As if to demonstrate his point, he jammed his small fist against his eye and rubbed it, then opened his little mouth as wide as it would go and yawned. Irene smiled, somewhat sadly and took Toby’s hand, starting towards the stairs.  
"Ok then," she teased, leaning down to blow a raspberry against the back of Toby's hand, making him giggle, "looks like it's bath time for kiddo." Toby nodded and smiled, then frowned and said, "But mommy, I don't want you to come in and help me. I'm a big boy now. I can do it." Irene was stunned for a moment. When had this sudden burst of independence come about? Had Sarah inspired it? She knew that Toby idolized his older sister.  
She smiled and told the boy that he could take a bath all by himself if he wanted, "As long as you don't make a mess,” she added with mock severity. Toby put on a grim face and nodded dutifully. For the first time that day, Irene laughed out loud.


	3. Chapter 3

Jareth pulled his other glove on and faced his reflection. He instantly puffed up at the sight. A striking, youthful Goblin King faced him, clad in a loose white shirt under a deep blue vest, black leather gloves, riding boots, and, as always, a very revealing pair of grey leggings. Having reviewed the big picture, Jareth began to examine the finer details of his appearance. Everything must be perfect for today's visit.  
His shirt was spotless, open just enough to reveal a pale, but surprisingly statuesque chest. The sleeves flowed smoothly down his arms and brushed his molded leather gloves, which fit him so well one could hardly tell they were there, the color aside. He had picked his favorite vest on a whim, and admired the close fit of that as well. This one wore a little longer in the torso than the others, and the way it tapered to his waist made him look taller and more lean. His eyes slid down to take in the pièce de résistance: the grey leggings which were hardly more than skin.  
His mouth stretched into a feral grin. He loved to see the reaction these garnered. Red face, eyes looking everywhere but where the garment strongly (and often irresistibly) tempted them to look. The boots were leather, polished and regal, but just a touch effeminate. The whole ensemble made him feel confident, royal, and very alluring. The only eccentricity he allowed himself was the wild blond strands that crowned his head better than a traditional circlet.  
He grinned once more at his reflection and winked, then the practiced smile he always wore faded a bit. He hadn't given any thought to what he would say once he reached his destination. In conversation, he always tried to sound gentle, sincere and just a touch teasing, but his mind shorted out every time he looked at her. In the end, he always came off arrogant, scathing, and annoying. He returned home from his visits to the girl feeling foolish and ashamed of himself, things he was not accustomed to feeling very often.  
He never meant to hurt the precious thing, he just didn't know what to say when those deep green eyes fixed on him and she brushed a strand of dark hair away defiantly. Jareth suppressed a laugh. A king, gone to pieces over a mere girl. Although in the years since her run she had grown into distinctly more...a few years ago he would never have believed that someone like Sarah could affect him so. And yet, after only a few hours of knowing the girl, he had been willing to move the stars for her.  
After a moment more of musing, the Goblin King turned back to the mirror, looked over his reflection once more, and then breathed deeply and stepped through the glass.


End file.
